Pedestrian/bike path no longer an option between college, community

Rockville, Montgomery College officials will look for other ways to bridge divide

Another potential solution to the fence that divides Montgomery College and its Rockville neighbors is off the table.

A pedestrian and bike path that would have led from the now-closed access point at Princeton Place southward along the fence line to an opening on the college campus will not be pursued as a solution to a problem that has put college officials at odds with nearby residents since last year.

City Manager Scott Ullery said the path, which was staked out for several weeks to give residents a chance to consider the plan, received negative feedback from the community.

"There wasn't much acceptance for the idea," he said, adding the construction would have been expensive as well.

Judy E. Ackerman, vice president and provost of the Rockville campus, said it was a mutual decision between the college and the city not to go forward with the path idea.

"When we met we had a complete packet of comments from the community and it did not seem like a favorable option," she said.

The college closed access to Princeton Place with a 6-foot fence after residents complained of smokers from campus congregating and creating a nuisance on their street.

The smokers were driven off campus the by college's tobacco-free policy, which began in August 2008.

Last month the college created a designated smoking area on the edge of campus near Mannakee Street.

The next option being explored is a gate with electronic card-key access for community members.

Ackerman said the idea is modeled on a similar one on the American University campus in Washington, D.C.

"Right now it's in a very exploratory phase," she said. "There is potential, but a lot of things still need to be looked at."

She said in the American University situation, the neighborhood organization manages who receives key-cards.

The pedestrian path is the third failed option considered by both sides as a compromise on how to allow neighborhood access.

The others included a designated smoking area within the college's fence and a long, fenced pathway from the cul-de-sac into the college.